Old family letters can shed light on family relationships and events­—using clues for researching, then returning to them some time later for a fresh perspective. They can also show some of the personalities of the people involved.

I’ve been going back over some of the Toms family letters which are more than 150 years old. The transcription below is of two letters written by my 3x great-granduncle Henry (Harry) Toms and his wife Ellen who were in England, to his brother, my 3x great-grandfather, Francis Philip (Frank) Toms who was in Australia.

The original handwriting is fairly legible, but there is some cross writing as well as ink bleeding through a little from the other side of the page. I’ve added paragraph breaks and some punctuation to make it easier to read.

Kidbrooke Villa

March 22^nd 1867

My dearest brother and sister

We were all very glad to get your letter by this mail and to hear we had another little niece who by this time must be three months old and also to hear you were all well. We often wish we could come across and see you all and dear Johnny who praises up your part of the world very much.

I have been staying with dear Mother at Windsor as I daresay she will tell you in her letters. We were away 10 days and have just come back. We were quite gay beings seeing the Queen several times quite close to us and several of the young people. Prince Arthur lives here.

So did you not yet get a photograph of our home which dear Harry sent you about the same time as you had the Barnfield one. You ought to have received it long ago.

We might send you out a photograph of Harry when he has grown his beard! Which is progressing very quickly.

We often talk about you all and wish so much we were all together. I often hear descriptions of you dear Frank both here and at Barnfield and Harry has a drawing of you in our dining room.

Dear Dora is well and also little Blanche who grows very fast and can almost get anything now. She looks so well, such a bright colour. Dora heard from her husband today. He is very well and longing to be home.

I must leave this for Harry to finish off. With love to you with kisses for the children.

Believe me

Your affect sister

Ellen Toms

11 April 1867

My dearest brother and sister

I do not write you as often as I ought but then I know you hear all the news from dear mother, and my time at the office is always so occupied. I owe Frank Yates no end of letters and shall be quite ashamed to see him when he is paid off from the “Princess Royal” which is ordered home and the “Rodney” sent out to relieve her.

You will both I am sure be very sorry to hear that my dear wife’s mother Mrs Kershaw is very dangerously ill, and we much fear she will not recover, she is suffering from congestion of the liver and great debility.

I shall keep this letter open till the 19^th

It is a great shame you did not get the papers that we sent out. Do you think there would be any use in my writing the Postmaster General (if there is such a person) at Sydney. Have any Navy Lists reached you? I send the “Illustrated” regularly.

Dear Ellie and I called on the Mackenzies last week. His brother’s friend who is now in England for a time has called but they had not yet sent your name and address to his brother and is sure he will communicate with you. I only trust he will, but you are quite right not to think of moving excepting for something very much better.

You would be astonished to hear that the 100rds of fellows who can’t get births anywhere, men in the city who were making their £2,000 a year can’t now get employment.

Our annual Volunteer Review comes off at Dover on Easter Monday, I wish you could see it, it is a fine sight.

Friday 19 April 1867

No more news. Our dear love to you all.

Ever your affect brother

H Toms

Frank emigrated to Australia almost ten years before his younger brother Harry married Ellen, born Emily Kershaw. He would have never met Ellen, nor his sister Dora’s daughter Blanche, the toddler mentioned in the letter.

Frank’s brother-in-law, Dora’s husband John Chamberlayne Ingles, was a surgeon in the Royal Navy at the time the letter was written. He was serving on the HMS Princess Royal, which appears to have been on a diplomatic mission at the time the letter was written.

Other members of the family mentioned include Samuel John , Frank and Harry’s youngest brother, who was travelling the world in the army, and Frank Yates, their cousin Francis Yeates Toms who was a surgeon in the Royal Navy. Harry and Ellen’s unnamed niece was probably Frank’s daughter Margaret Dora Toms.

Select references

Ellen Toms to Frank [Francis Philip] Toms, letter, 22 March 1867, ‘Family Correspondence – Letters received by Frank Toms from his brother, Henry Toms, 1860-1873’, State Library of New South Wales, Toms family correspondence, with associated material, 1860-1919, MLMSS 4782, box 1, item 1.

Henry Toms to Frank [Francis Philip] Toms, letter, 11 April 1867, ‘Family Correspondence – Letters received by Frank Toms from his brother, Henry Toms, 1860-1873’, State Library of New South Wales, Toms family correspondence, with associated material, 1860-1919, MLMSS 4782, box 1, item 1.